Engine oil filtering arrangement and means



May 9, 1961 A. E. KOLBE ENGINE OIL FILTERING ARRANGEMENT AND MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 7, 1955 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY y 1961 A. E. KOLBE 2,983,336

ENGINE OIL FILTERING ARRANGEMENT AND MEANS Original Filed Oct. 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR..

EKQM ATTORNEY ENGINE OIL FILTERING ARRANGEMENT AND MEANS Adelhert E. Kolhe, 3747 Kenmore Road, Berkley, Mich.

2 Claims. c1. 184-6) This application is a continuation of SN. 551,716, filed October 7, 1955, now abandoned, in the name of Adelbert E. Kolbe.

The present invention relates to internal combustion engines and more particularly to means for filtering the lubricants flowing through the engine lubricating system.

In a modern automotive vehicle the engine employs a large-number of precision working parts which must be adequately lubricated at all times. Accordingly, it is high- 1y desirable to provide a suitable filter element for elimi nating any foreign substances in the lubricant which might disrupt'the flow of lubricants in some portions of the lubrication system and/or possibly cause scoring of some of the working parts of the engine. In order to be eifective such a filter unit must be serviced and cleaned at frequent intervals. However in the previous installations it has been the practice to mount the filter unit on some portion of the engine which becomes'inaccessible when the engine is mounted in the vehicle because of the surrounding vehicle structure. Accordingly, it has been very dilficult and time consuming and consequently expensiv to service the filter element.

It is now proposed to provide means for mounting'the filter unit on the engine so that even when the engi e is installed on an automative vehicle, the unit will be readily accessible and therefore easily replaceable. The mounting means may include a recessed socket in one side of the cylinder block that receives the end of the filter unit. This socket is preferably on the bottom of the cylinder block immediately adjacent to the oil pan so that the filter unit may depend downwardly alongside the oil pan. The upper end of the filter unit may include a cap that has a pair of annular surfaces thereon which engage annular seats in the recessed socket and thereby form an inlet and an outlet that will interconnect'lubricant passages formed integrally in the cylinder block. It will thus be seen that the filter unit will be mounted vertically alongside the oil pan so as to be readily accessible from the underside of the vehicle. Since the oil pan projects to slightly lower than the filter unit, the unit will be adequately protecte from striking road obstructions.

in the two sheets of drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of an engine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the plane of line 2-2 in Figure 3 and showing the interior of the cap for the filter unit.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of the engine in Figure 1, showing the portion thereof having the filter unit mounted thereon.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, the present invention may be adapted for use on any suitable engine such as a so-called V-type having a cylinder block 12 with Patented May 9, 1961 2 posed in these cylinders for rotatably driving the engine crankshaft mounted in the crankcase 20. The crankcase 20 may include an oil pan 22 which is secured to the bottom of the engine 10 and forms a sump for the lubricating system. Thus the lubricant will collect in the oil pan 22 and may be pumped from the pan 22 by any suitable pump through the lubricating system which includes various passages and galleries formed in the cylinder block 12 for delivering the lubricant to the various working parts of the engine 10.

In the present lubrication system the pump is driven from the crankshaft and is located in the pan 22 to discharge the lubricant through a tube 24. This tube 24 is inturn connected to the lower end of a passage 26 drilled vertically through the cylinder block 12 to communicate with the various passages and galleries making up the lubricating system. A plug 28 may be pressed into the passage 26 so that any'lubricant flowing into the passage will be forced to flow laterally outwardly through the horizontally drilled passage 30 in the bottom of the cylinder block 12. This passage opens into a recessed socket a pair of angularly disposed banks 14 of cylinders. Cylduction system 18 disposed in the space between the two banks 14 of cylinders. Pistonsfmay be reciprocably 'dis- 32 in the bottom of the cylinder block 12. In addition, the system may include another drilled passage 34 which extends horizontally across the block 12 to interconnect the upper end of the recessed socket 32 with the drilled passage 30 immediately above the plug 28. Thus it may be seen that the lubricant from the pump will be directed through passages 26 and 30 into the recessed socket 32 and if a cover is secured across the open end of the socket 32, the lubricant will flow into the passage 34, and be returned directly to the passage 26 immediately above the plug 28.

However, in most installations, instead of providing a cover overthe socket, it willbe desirable to provide a filter unit 36 effective to remove foreign particles from the lubricant as it flows therethrough; In the present instance this filter unit 36 includes .a casing or openended container 38, amp secured across the open endofthe container 38, a filter cartridge 42 disposed inside the container 38 and a hanger bolt 44 which extends through the entire unit 36 and is threaded into the cylinder block 12 for securing the filter unit 36 thereto.

The present filter cartridge 42 is a hollow cylindrical member having a passage 46 through the center thereof and formed by perforated inner and outer members 48 separated by material 50 suitable for removing foreign particles from the lubricant. The opposite ends of the cartridge may include plane members 52 that will form seats 54 and 56. When the cartridge is disposed inside of the container 38 it will form a chamber 58 for unfiltered lubricant and the seat 54 will rest on a spring biased collar 60 on the hanger bolt 44.

The cap 40 may, include a plane upper end 64, a cylindrical rim 66, and an annular wall or divider 68. The lower end 65 of the divider 68 engages the upper seat 56 on the cartridge 42 while the plane upper end 64 engages an annular seat 70 on the upper end of the socket 32. It will thus be seen that the interior of the container 38 will be separated into an unfiltered chamber 58 interconnected with the passage 30 by one or more perforations in the cap 40 and a filtered chamber 72 interconnected with the passage 34. The cylindrical rim 66 and the packing 74 will engage an outer seat 76 around the periphery of the socket 32 and thereby prevent any leakage of lubricant from the filter unit 36.

A pressure relief valve 78,may be provided inthe excessive pressure drop thereacross, the relief valve may open and allow the unfiltered lubricant to by-pass the filter I element 50 and flow directly from the unfiltered chamber 58 to the filtered chamber 72.

It may thus be seen that since the filter unit 36 is disposed vertically alongside the oil pan 22, it will be easily accessible. Accordingly, by merely tightening or loosening the hanger bolt 44, the filter unit 36 may be easily removed and installed for servicing and cleaning of the unit.

It is to be understood that, although the invention has been described with specific reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it is not to be so limited since changes and alterations therein may be made which are within the full intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an engine having a cylinder block with a surface formed thereon and having a socket formed in said block and extending normally through said surface, a filter unit associated with said socket and including a filter cap and a filter element and a filter casing, said cap and said element dividing said casing and said socket into a filtered oil chamber and an unfiltered oil chamber, said cap being formed to provide a plurality of annular sealing surfaces, 21 pair of said sealing surfaces registering with surfaces in said socket to provide a part of said unfiltered oil chamber in said socket, another of said sealing surfaces registering with a surface on said filter element and support ing said filter element, said filter element and an annular wall of said cap between one of said pair and said another of said sealing surfaces dividing said socket and said casing into said filtered and said unfiltered oil chambers, said casing being formed to provide an open end, said engine having a lubricating system having an oil passage in said block communicating with said filtered oil chamber and an oil passage in said block communicating with said unfiltered oil chamber, said lubricating system being adapted to circulate oil through said socket and said filter element from one of said passages and chambers to the other of said passages and chambers, and means securing said casing and said cap to said block with said casing enclosing said filter element and said cap and with said open end of said casing registering with and closing said socket and said filter element and said cap in assembled relation on said annular sealing surfaces, said cap being released and removable from said socket by releasing said securing means and removing said filter element and said casing.

2. In an engine having a cylinder block formed to provide a lower relatively horizontal surface having a socket extending upwardly therein and having a crankcase oil pan extending downwardly from said block at one side of said socket, a filter unit associated with said socket and including a filter cap and a filter element and a filter casing having an open end, said cap being disposed within said socket and said element being disposed within said casing with said element engaging said cap and said open end of said casing engaging said block and closing said socket, said cap and said element dividing said casing and said socket into a filtered oil chamber and an unfiltered oil chamber, a lubricating system associated with said engine and having an oil passage in said block communicating with said filtered oil chamber and an oil passage in said block communicating with said unfiltered oil chamber, said lubricating system being adapted to circulate oil through said socket and said filter element from one of said chambers to the other of said chambers, a pressure relief valve in a wall of said cap between said filtered oil chamber and said unfiltered oil chamber, said pressure relief valve opening a passage in said wall leading from said unfiltered oil chamber to said filtered oil chamber when the pressure in said unfiltered oil chamber exceeds a predetermined value, and means securing said casing to said block at one side of said oil pan and with said casing enclosing said filter element and said cap and with said end of said casing registering with and closing said socket, said cap and said pressure relief valve being released and being removable from said socket by releasing said securing means and removing said filter element and said casing.

McKinley Feb. 17, 1931 Belgarde Apr. 24, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION PatentNo. 2,983,33 I I I May 9, 1961 I Adelbert .E, Kolbe It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered pate'nt requiring correction and-that thev said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 1, 2 and 3, for "Adelbert E, Kolbe, of Berkley, Michigan," read Adelbert E, Kolloe, of Berkley, Michigan, assignor to General Motors Corporation, of Detroit,

Michigan, a corporation of Delaware, line 12, for "Adelbert E. Kolbe, his heirs" read General Motors Corporation, its successors in the heading to the printed specification,

line 4, for "Adelbert E. Kolhe, 3747 Kenmore Road, Berkley, Mich." read ,Adelbert E. Kolbc, Berkley, Mich, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Signed and sealed this 10th day of October 1961,,

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER DAVID L LADD Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

